Location is king when it comes to searching for a home, and according to the latest housing market figures by OneRoof and Valocity, buyers at both ends of the market can see where the best opportunities lie.
The place where houses are cheapest is Murupara, the timbertown in remotest corner of the Bay of Plenty near the Kaingaroa forest, where the median property value $65,000 - a third of what a house-buyer in Auckland would have to stump as a deposit!
In Mataura, near Gore, or in the collection of suburbs around Greymouth, the median value is slightly steeper, between $100,000 and $140,000.
At the other end of the scale are the wealthy outer Auckland suburbs of Coatesville, Whitford and Dairy Flat and the inner-city burbs of Herne Bay and St Mary’sBay, where median property values range from just over $2 million to $2.6 million. For those who want a slightly more affordable luxury address, try Wellington’sOriental Bay, where the median value is $1.895 million, or Gibbston in Queenstown where the median is $1.837million.
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So what do you get for that median value? We looked at the cheapest and most expensive suburbs and found some choice homes.
InMurupara, $170,000 gets you a sound little three-bedroom weatherboard home of100-sq m at 55 Miro Drive. The home, marketed by Marie-Jo Rudsdale of Eves, Rotorua, has two wood burners (timber supplies not a problem here),a tidy kitchen and bathroom, garage woodshed and generous garden.
Find out more about 55 Miro Drive here.
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Properties around Gore have a median CV of $110,000, and the one pictured above at 4 Surrey Street, which is being marketed by Bayleysagent Julie Mitchell, is a sound 90sq m villa with a new roof and an asking price of $115,000.
Find out more about 4 Surrey Street here.
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A cluster of towns and suburbs around Greymouth – with theromantic old gold-mining names like Taylorville and Dunnollie – run medianvalues of between $115,000 and $140,000.
For $130,000, Harcourts agent Sharon Kirk has a tidy littlecottage of 90sq m in Cobden. It has the requisite wood burner on a wetback, neatkitchen and single garage.
Find out more about 6 Cardwell Street here.
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In the North Island, on the Whanganui River, is one of the country's most affordable towns. Manunui has a medianvalue of $130,000, but it has somepricier farm spreads on the edge of town, such as the one on Tanga Roadmarketed by Tharaen Fearon and Nicoleen Wessels, of Ray White.
On just under 10 hectares on an elevated site, the housecaptures great views and sun and has an asking price of $550,000. It has a new kitchen, carpets and roof, plentyof extra spaces for hobbies, a four-bay garage and another equally large carport and a separate sleepout.
Find out more about 35 Tanga Road, Manunui, here.
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If more glamour is more your boat, then Auckland's Coatesville is your place.
Graham and Ollie Wall are selling a super lakeside house onLewis Lane. The series of boatshed-like rooms and docks are suspended over a1.6 hectare lake, all glass walls and indoor-outdoor flow. The property isoften used for weddings, corporate events and photo shoots, as it has astunning self-contained guest suite with water views.
Go straight to the listing here.
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Prices in Auckland's Herne Bay can swoop to many times the suburb’smedian value of $2.19 million – this year’s top sale in the suburb was $12million. But a more affordable jump abovethe median is this classic villa at 21 Albany Road, which has a generous floor planof four bedrooms, plenty of outdoor living and the highly desirable off-streetparking. John Wills and Nicky Blackie, of Custom Residential, are marketing the property with a set sale date of June 24.
Go straight to the listing here.
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Out in Auckland's east, the horse country of Whitford has its own littlemicro-climate (it’s the sea air) and some of the biggest spreads around thecity (it is equestrian country too). The median value there is $2.445 and a budget of just a little over that could get yousomething like 34 Brownhill Road.
The property, which has a CV of $2.7 million and is being marketed by Bayleysagents Angela Rudling and Michael Chi, is a slice of Tuscany, with a generous 527sq m house on a 2600sq m site next to a vineyard. Complete with balconies, wrought-ironwork, sandstone fireplaces and the beautifully landscaped gardens, there’sgaraging for five cars, a media room and sensational outdoor entertaining.
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In Wellington's Oriental Parade, the median property value is $1.895 million, but stretch a little bit further to $2.2 million and you can buy a brand new stand-alone town home in aNovak and Middleton-designed project.
Marketed by Nicki Cruickshank and Sam Newble of Tommy’s, thethree bedroom house has the stylish granite kitchen, two car garaging andlandscaped gardens.
Go straight to the listing here.
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International millionaires arestill flocking to Queenstown, where the priciest suburb is Gibbstown. This modern Simon Carnachan-designed lodge house has an asking price of $3.495 million and has concrete, glass and modern layout that opens out to country viewsand cool landscaped grounds (there’s even a glass house for the keen gardener).Marketed by Terry Spice and Nick Horton, of Luxury Real Estate, thehouse includes a wine cellar, double garaging and a self-containedguest cottage for the visitors.
